“It’s been six weeks since angels of the apocalypse descended to demolish the modern world. Street gangs rule the day while fear and superstition rule the night. When warrior angels fly away with a helpless little girl, her seventeen-year-old sister Penryn will do anything to get her back.

Anything, including making a deal with an enemy angel.

Raffe is a warrior who lies broken and wingless on the street. After eons of fighting his own battles, he finds himself being rescued from a desperate situation by a half-starved teenage girl.

Traveling through a dark and twisted Northern California, they have only each other to rely on for survival. Together, they journey toward the angels’ stronghold in San Francisco where she’ll risk everything to rescue her sister and he’ll put himself at the mercy of his greatest enemies for the chance to be made whole again.”

Angels We Have Heard Attacking on High

I really wish I knew what made angel books so divisive. Usually, people either love them or hate them. I’ve been on the hate(ish) site a few times (ahem, Dark Kiss), so I was bound to be a bit skeptical when I heard about Angelfall.

Other reviews absolutely GLOWED about this book though! If you don’t believe me, check out Angelfall’s average Goodreads rating: 4.36 (out of 5). Whoa, that’s a serious number.

And, once I cracked open Angelfall, I knew I had a winner. I was immediately plunged into the very scary world of Penryn, where angels mysteriously came to earth and literally tore it apart for no apparent reason.

Since that time, the economy, the country and the world has fallen in a shambles. Things were bad for Penryn, but they got much, much worse when angels swooped down and stole away her sister. Her only hope of finding her sister and keeping her schizophrenic mom safe is to trust the dangerous and mysterious Raffe – an angel who was left for dead after his wings were cut off and stolen.

What set Angelfall apart was the very dark nature of angels themselves. They say they were directed to come to earth to kill and destroy, and they seem to live wanton lifestyles like the best Hollywood starlets. I liked having my traditional notions of angelic beings challenged like that.

Heavenly Bodies

Angelfall has a lot going for it. It has a fast but non-confusing pace – I could keep track of where Penryn and Raffe were going and what new antics they got up to. Plus, there is some fantastic romantic tension between them. It plays out in a very subtle, unobtrusive way that I really enjoyed.

The whole setting of the world is great – California is the backdrop and still has it’s classic Hollywood charm…just with added hysteria.

Just know that Susan Ee is not afraid of a little gore. There are several scenes at the end that are very graphic in their gruesome nature, and I do not recommend reading those parts while eating lunch or before going to sleep (if you’re like me and can’t handle scary things). *shivers*.

OVERALL

Angelfall really surprised me. I wasn’t expecting a book that was so heart-pounding in its action and suspense and so soft and tentative with it’s delicate friendships and bonds. I definitely recommend Angelfall, as it is easily the best angel book I’ve yet to read.

About Lisa Parkin

I'm a hardcore lover of young adult fiction and have been reviewing books since 2011. Other interests include Downton Abbey, heat lightning storms, Harry Potter land and (begrudingly) one orange tabby.

This book is a winner, and its
author has it going on with this lineup of unique characters and their
“beginning-after-the-end” post-apocalyptic backdrop. There an experience
here that’s definitely worth expanding on; I’m already looking forward
to the next book in this series.

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My name's Lisa and I run Read.Breathe.Relax, a young adult fantasy/sci-fi book blog where reading is an addictive habit I never want to kick. I often have to tell myself to keep calm and read, breathe, relax.

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